


tread lightly

by ringthealarm



Category: Ariana Grande (Musician), Fifth Harmony (Band), Pop Music RPF
Genre: Childhood Sweethearts, F/F, Recreational Drug Use, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-06 21:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ringthealarm/pseuds/ringthealarm
Summary: ariana sees what normani doesn't see in herself. normani encourages ariana to be better.orariana and normani are childhood friends in love.





	tread lightly

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda wanted to write a childhood/high school friends to lovers thing for a long time and well... here it is. also for fic purposes only, i made them one year apart when in reality they're like 3 years apart.

normani was so nervous, she felt like throwing up. she moved to florida all the way from texas because her parents wanted "new scenery". normani just rolled her eyes. it was enough she had to move from louisiana to texas and now this. normani had no problem making friends or putting herself out there, it's just annoying to keep uprooting from place to place. her parents promise they wouldn't do it again since she's about to start sophomore year. normani was used to schools with over 1000 students but this high school only had 500, which made her even more edge. literally, everyone knew everyone and she rather die.  
  
"uhm... normani?" she heard a sweet voice behind her when she was trying to figure out how the hell to open this locker. she turned around and saw the hottest girl she has ever laid eyes on. she had her highlighted honey brown hair in a low ponytail with bangs and had on a tight black dress with lavender boots with ray bans resting on the top of her head.  
  
she really gotten lost in her thoughts while starting at her because she heard the girl's voice clear. normani felt embarrassed and shook her head, ashamed.  
  
"i, uh, sorry. you're just really hot," normani blurted out and ariana just smirked with her dimple visibly showing.  
  
"wow. you're so straightforward, i dig it. i'm ariana and i'm here to show you around the school but firstly, i'll show you how to open your locker. it's a bitch, isn't it?"

 

...

 

normani knew she liked girls. it wasn't a secret. she really felt lucky that even though her parents were religious, they were the most accepting individuals she knew. she felt nothing but blessings coming from a loving household. she just knew the world wasn't the same. normani always had crushes on girls since she was 5. it was nothing new to her and her family never made her feel like she was wrong or it was a sin.  
  
even so, she never pursued a girl. sure, she had crushes but that's all they were. she wasn't fussed though. she was just very shy and young.  
  
but there was something about ariana she just wanted to know more of. ariana was a year above her and normani couldn't stop thinking about her for the past two months now. on the first day of school, ariana took her under her wing. showing her around the small school and talking her head off (which normani found endearing). even though with a small school, it's not necessarily clique focused, but everyone just LOVES ariana and flocks around her, which who could blame them? ariana treated her like a best friend so fast and was so animated around her. ariana's friends were just as lovable as she was. in this time, she learned that ariana was a cheerleader, on the honor roll and on every school club as much as she could cram in her schedule. normani would probably hate her in another life if ariana wasn't the sweetest person alive.  
  
doesn't help she's super hot either.

 

...

 

normani was falling for her. hard. they texted every day at this point and she really made her heart race. she tried to push it out of her mind though because she was just... normani. there was nothing special about her. anyone could and should have ariana.  
  
and well... they did.

 

...

 

now comes her boyfriend ricky. normani had no issue towards him, sure, but she didn't trust him. she had no reason too, she just didn't. her gut told her something was off about him.  
  
and her gut was right.

 

...

 

she heard rumors. awful rumors. normani joined the basketball team (because ariana pestered her to after they had a light conversation about sports) and she heard ricky was messing with a girl on her team named lily while in the locker room. she froze but she acted like she wasn't hearing the convo that was literally 30 feet away from her. the girl then called ariana a "stupid fucking fake whore" and normani was livid but didn't want to intervene. she was new and she hardly KNEW these people. she just sat down on the bench and acted like she was texting. eventually, the girls and her friends left the locker room and normani put her head in her hands.  
  
she didn't know what to do.

 

...

 

a few days later, ariana invited herself over normani's house after she was done with her afternoon activities. ariana was literally at normani's house so much that her parents made her a plate too when she was over past dinner time. normani's parents literally loved and cherished ariana so much and were thankful normani found a friend in her.  
  
ariana was doing calculus homework in normani's room and normani was just observing her carefully. normani was super lucky ariana liked her and all but she wondered why ariana spent all her time here and not with other friends. what was so special about her?  
  
ariana broke normani out of her thoughts, "something on your mind, mani?"  
  
_yeah, a fucking lot._  
  
"sorry. i'm just thinking."  
  
ariana closed her math book and fully faced her, "okay, hit me. what about?"  
  
"why do you spend so much time with me? i mean, i know you have other friends but i'm honestly boring and have nothing to offer. don't you want better?" normani said that without taking a breath. ariana just looked at her with a borderline impassive expression. normani just felt stupid for being this honest to her but she needed to know. ariana just tilted her head.  
  
"for someone super intelligent, you're pretty fucking oblivious," ariana said with a smirk before continuing. "i hang out with you because you're my best friend? you, yes you, are one of the greatest friends i have. you're different. you make me feel very calm and grounded. you don't have to be outlandish to think you don't matter to me. i trust you very much."  
  
that made normani's stomach drop.  
  
_i trust you very much._  
  
normani had to tell ariana or she would feel like she's doing the wrong thing. when ariana turned around to go back to do homework, normani literally felt like word vomit was coming out.  
  
"i have to tell you something."  
  
"hmm?" ariana hummed half paying attention to her.  
  
"ricky's cheating you with lily!" normani almost but shrieked  
  
the room really felt like it dropped a colder temperature and she saw ariana crush her pencil in half with her bare right hand. ariana didn't say anything for a while which made normani anxious.  
  
"when"  
  
"when?"  
  
"when did you hear about this, normani!"  
  
she knew ariana had anger issues but it was never directed towards her and now normani was terrified she just got in ariana's wrath.  
  
"a-a week a-ago."  
  
ariana shot up so fast from the white carpet floor and normani saw the tiny girl's nose flair up and her fists ball up at her sides.  
  
"i'm going to kill him, i swear to god. he said he won't do this bullshit again but all he does is lie." ariana said it so calmly, it felt like ice was on resting on normani's skin. it was scary to see ariana mad or upset and ariana had quiet anger which is the most scariest. ariana then packed all her things in a frenzy and was headed out the door.  
  
"ari, i'm sorry," normani squeaked out. ariana paused, her shoulders and posture visibly relaxing. ariana sighed, slinging her backpack over her shoulder again.  
  
"i'm not mad at you. i just want to rip out his throat," ariana said through clenched teeth. ariana then rushed over to give the taller girl a hug, normani melting in her embrace. "thank you for telling me. i fucking hate ricky and lily. they deserve each other," ariana practically growled. she then threw her backpack on the ground and took off her heels and went to the other side and climbed in normani's bed.  
  
"lily is... my ex-best friend and also ex," ariana barked out a laugh before continuing. "i don't know what happened. we were friends since kindergarten. we did everything together. i thought we HAD the world. we started dating freshman year. everything was good until she cheated on me and she got pregnant," she shook her head in disbelief. "she gave up the baby for adoption and i was fine with that but during that time, she treated me like i was the enemy! she said she only cheated because she thought /i/ did which i'm not sure where that was taken from but people love to make up shit about me and go with he said, she said bullshit. in reality, she was jealous that i was friends with victoria because she's openly bi and she expressed interest in me one time and we got over that but i said no because i was dating lily! and you know what? maybe i should have cheated! victoria is a thousand times better anyway," ariana pinched her nose.  
  
"i ended things with lily and it's been a mess ever since. she's openly hated me and spreads things about me and her friends join in. but you know one day that shit will come back to her and she will no one else but to blame but herself." ariana said with a calm facade but normani could see she was shaking with rage.  
  
normani then said with amazement, "i didn't know you liked girls?"  
  
ariana visibly relaxed with a giggle fit and normani felt butterflies in her stomach.  
  
"of course. that's why i didn't react when you called me hot and that's how i knew you liked girls too."  
  
normani felt like face-palming in embarrassment. was she that obvious?  
  
"i... oh?"  
  
"you aren't, like, 'out' out and that's okay. i just can read people. gaydar, if you will. i won't tell anyone,"  
  
"but i like you!" normani exploded. ariana just tilted her head again, with a smile.  
  
"i know, normani."  
  
ariana faced normani and stroked her cheek. normani's heart was racing like crazy. ariana slowly leaned in and normani followed suit. closer and closer and closer...  
  
_ah._  
  
ariana initiated the kiss, not wanting to scare her and make her feel comfortable. normani shyly kissed back, her mind literally going of the charts. it was a slow and shy kiss but normani thought it was everything (and it was her first kiss ever).  
  
ariana pulled back and rested her forehead on normani's, with her eyes closed and they stayed like that for a while. normani wanted to be here forever.  
  
"what are we now?" normani innocently asked.  
  
ariana hummed. "we're just us. give it time."

 

...

 

normani was now a junior, ariana was now a senior. they spent that whole summer break together. hand in hand, their lips always locked. they just... were.  
  
ariana did something bold.  
  
"hey, mani," ariana hugged behind her by her locker, nibbling at her earlobe, her hands cupping her ass. she felt normani squirm. "mani, just relax, alright." ariana whispered while closing her locker, then turning her around. normani gasped at the sudden actions but ariana shut her up when she kissed her in front of the lockers. she could feel people staring at them, but she didn't care. she did not care one bit.

...

armani. everyone called them armani now. they were so sickeningly cute. ariana was always at normani's basketball games, cheering the loudest on her squad.  
  
  
they were always holding hands and smiling at each other in the hallways. normani never felt so overjoyed with love. she wanted to stay like this forever.

 

...

 

normani was coming home from practice one night and it was dark. she thought nothing of it when she looked at her phone and checked her notifications. when she put her phone back in her pocket, she felt two strong arms lunge her backwards. she started to scream until a hand was put over her mouth. she was now thrown into a brick wall, making her feel dizzy and weak. she felt lightheaded. when she regained her vision, she saw the two people she wanted to see the least.  
  
ricky and lily.  
  
"listen here, stupid dyke! stay away from ariana!" ricky barked at her.  
  
normani should be terrified but her mouth runs faster than her brain, "or what? she wants nothing to do with you fools!"  
  
she then felt something connecting with her jaw. she fell to the ground. then she felt a blunt force to her stomach. and another blunt force. and another blunt force. and another blunt force.  
  
she heard lily laughing in the background. "i mean it, you fucking dyke!"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
she then heard them scurry off.  
  
_cowards._  
  
few moments later, she felt someone picking her up and putting her in a backseat of a car. she didn't even protest. she could even move.  
  
"i'm taking you to the hospital,"  
  
it was victoria.

"no! i--want t-to see a-ari,"  
  
victoria paused for a second, put the car in drive, and sped over ariana's place.

 

...

 

ariana's face dropped and her eyebrows furrowed when she saw victoria have a bruised normani in her arms.  
  
"fucking ricky and lily attacked her after practice. fucking scum. i was gonna take her to the hospital but she wanted to see you."

 

....

 

"my sides hurt," normani coughed out.  
  
ariana's jaw was clenched. she wanted to punch the fuck out of her wall or strangle both those assholes with her bare hands. she couldn't even think straight. how DARE they hurt her girlfriend? literally what's wrong with them? she kept her anger under wraps to tend to her baby.

 

...

 

when normani was in ariana's room resting, she closed the door, stomping down the stairs.  
  
"vic!" ariana growled. "what the fuck happened before i kill them!"  
  
"i didn't see much but when i stepped outside, ricky was kicking normani and i shouted at them before they did anything else."  
  
ariana wanted to scream, "i want them dead! how dare they touch her! normani has done not a goddamn thing wrong in her life!"  
  
victoria said cautiously, "you want sean and mac to step in? you know i got people too. remember, people would die for you around here."  
  
ariana shook her head, "nah, i don't need more exes involved with other exes. i can handle this..."  
  
victoria gave her a side eye, "...for now. i don't want to scare normani off, like, i may already have in general with this shit."  
  
victoria then stepped closer to ariana, putting her hands on her shoulders, "sis, listen... that girl? is mad for you. when i'm in art class, she's always talking about you. i don't think she has any other thoughts besides you," ariana laughed and victoria smiled. "she definitely will not go away and don't push her away, either."  
  
ariana hugged her, "thanks, vic. i'm glad lily didn't ruin us."  
  
victoria rolled her eyes, sighing. "girl. you think i would let some spiteful bitch ruin us? never on my life, you know that. we go way back."  
  
"yeah. but i still feel bad about--"  
  
"don't. i may have had a crush on you but you make a better best friend. you're a good person, ari. i got over it and that. you're always so attractive though, can't lie about that," ariana snorted. "but we're attached for life, know that."  
  
ariana patted her shoulder, "thanks, vic."

 

...

 

ariana needed to calm down before she got fueled with rage again and would kill both of her exes with her bare hands, so she rolled a blunt.  
  
she had a small laugh to herself before smoking because she remembers the first time she got normani high that summer. they did so much that day, had so many firsts that day. she felt the most violent butterflies after replaying those memories in her mind. she loved normani so much and she wanted to protect her always. and now, she was going to.

 

...

 

to everyone's surprise, the school had cameras installed outside (literally how the fuck did no one noticed this?). ricky and lily got expelled. the school offered to give normani to press charges but normani passed on that. she wanted to forget about the whole situation. that whole ordeal had normani shook up and she avoided ariana for a few days. ariana understood but she was annoyed, more at ricky and lily for scaring her girl like that. ariana had to corner normani at her house (and had to give her a lot of kisses) to make her come back to her senses. 

 

...

 

"mani? do you want to go to prom? my prom... with me?" 

 

...

 

normani didn't know how to dress for it. she looked so long for a dress. weeks, even. she was getting frustrated. her mother suggested she wear a suit bur normani scoffed at the idea at first but the more she thought about it, the more it fit for how her relationship was with ariana. so she got one. a white tux. she had no clue what ariana what wearing because she wanted to surprise normani.

 

...

 

ariana laughed until there was tears in her eyes when she picked up normani. ariana was wearing a black suit.

they really both were the biggest clowns. 

 

... 

 

after prom was over, normani went back to ariana's house to smoke and eat pizza. normani and ariana never wanted that night to end. they just stayed in each other's arms until normani fell asleep.

"i love you so much, princess. i'm gonna miss you so fucking much when i go to college." ariana kissed her forehead while normani was she was softly snoring in her arms. 

 

...

 

normani was now a senior, ariana was now a freshman in college. ariana went to new york university and had major in english with a minor in music education. which... duh, in normani's eyes. ariana sang all the time and was passionate about music. ariana didn't know if she wanted to be an actual singer with like actual albums people buy on itunes and shit but she wanted to utilize her talent, at least. normani encouraged her to do that.

 

...

 

normani went to ariana's high school graduation, cheering for her the loudest, and that was a feat since her family is loud as hell. she swore she saw ariana look red in the face and look down, grinning when she went back to her seat. 

 

...

 

they spent another summer together. they spent as much time physically together as they could before ariana went off to college.

 

...

 

normani cried for a day when ariana drove off in her convertible. 

ariana couldn't stop crying on her drive up. 

 

...

 

normani felt a little lonely at school with ariana and her friends gone. of course, she had friends in her grade, but it wasn't the same. she felt like her anchor was gone. her and ariana talked as much as they could on facetime, with ariana passed out over a textbook and normani doing the same eventually. it was just them. 

 

...

 

as with growing up, they slightly grew apart.

 

...

 

normani dated someone else in her grade. a girl named lauren. normani started to feel good again and herself again. she started to be active in school again. 

 

...

 

ariana landed a record deal by lucky chance after singing at a bar. 

 

...

 

normani and ariana were still good friends (if they could call it that) but their conversations were less. they were both busy. they couldn't talk much anymore. it became stale.

that both broke both of their hearts. they weren't the same. 

 

...

 

normani still invited ariana to prom and her graduation.

and she came both times. she would do anything for normani.

 

...

 

ariana still wearing a suit to prom and normani followed her. 

 

...

 

ariana went to normani's high school graduation, cheering for her the loudest. she swore she saw normani grin so wide with tears in her eyes before returning to her seat.

 

...

 

normani and lauren broke up after high school but lauren wasn't fussed. she knew her heart and mind was with ariana and she accepted that. she had to let her go.

 

...

 

ariana finally finished up her album two years later. 

she know people in this day in age didn't read album notes or even buy physical copies anymore but she thanked normani. well, she gave her a whole ass paragraph thanking her for encouraging her to chase her dream and supporting her until the end. 

no big deal. 

 

...

 

when ariana was 26, she had 5 albums under her belt. when normani was 25, normani decided to pursue music too after she finished college, with ariana's help. she put out an album.

 

...

 

ariana currently had her hair jet black, still having her high ponytail. normani was sat in her lap, drinking champagne in a tight gold dress.

they "officially" got back together after ariana put out her first album. it was pretty cliche dramatic. normani founded out where ariana's place was and stormed in, soaked from the rain. ariana was confused as hell but normani pulled her in and kissed her with so much want and passion, it literally knocked the small girl off her feet. ariana melted in her embrace and they made up for lost time. kiss after kiss. orgasm after orgasm. 

 

...

 

"did you ever think our lives would turn out like this?" ariana murmured, watching normani drink straight from the bottle.

"not at all. it turned out better than i hoped... and you're finally back in it."

 

...

 

**end.**

**Author's Note:**

> we all know who ricky is, unfortunately  
> lily - original  
> victoria - victoria monét  
> lauren - lauren jauregui


End file.
